High-5 is a like a good acid trip: self-indulgent, careless, uncomfortable, full of crazy visuals – and you come out feeling all the better for it. At first the editing made me queasy. It flicks around from wave to wave, rewinds, fast-forwards and slows down at all the wrong times. To complete the mind-fornication, the surfing footage is spattered with all manner of weirdness, from giant hands to freaky faces with too many eyes.
My favourite segments were Wade Goodall, who shows why he can live a life unlike yours, and Andy Irons who lays back into crazy stalls, throws trademark power carves and nails some of the best barrels you’ll ever see. This is a crazy little surf film. I love the random visuals – Wade’s board turning into a pink lilo mid-flight; Andy emerging from the barrel on a shark. I also love the gratuitous bikini girls doing weird, un-sexy dancing on the beach. Something tells me a lot of weed was enjoyed during the making of this film.
High-5 is a funny, psychedelic and high performance portrayal of youth and pure, unadulterated surfing fun.
